Time for Eskom to come clean about power crisis‚ says DA

It’s time for Eskom to play open cards with SA about the power crisis the country is facing‚ the DA says.

The DA’s spokesperson on state capture‚ Natasha Mazzone‚ said on Sunday the party had noted the conflicting reports surrounding the current crisis at Eskom and believed that South Africans deserved clarity with regards to the “many theories‚ explanations and excuses provided by Eskom during these very dark days”.

“There are many reasons for the power failures South Africans are now being forced to endure – ranging from state capture and a lack of coal to allegations of irregular tenders and Eskom’s use of companies that are unable to provide the services Eskom so desperately needs.

“For the sake of clarity and transparency the DA calls on Eskom to provide a list of all the companies it has taken action against with regards to incorrect tender processes. We also call on Eskom to inform South Africans whether it has applied for any urgent interdicts to stop contracts which result in coal shortages‚” Mazzone said.

The underlying problem‚ regardless of the current crisis‚ was that the structure of Eskom inevitably needed to change‚ she said‚ adding that the electricity parastatal had proven it was incapable of delivering power to South Africans within its current operational model.